Department for Education

Modern Greek Language: GCE A-level

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Modern Greek remains available as an A-level subject.

Lord Nash: The Department for Education is currently considering what further support and encouragement can be provided to awarding organisations to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level, including Modern Greek.   The government has been clear that it wants to see all pupils provided with the opportunity to take a core set of academic subjects, including modern foreign languages. The number of pupils entering for a modern language GCSE has increased by 20% since 2010 due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. There are considerable benefits to learning a second language and the government is keen to see the range of languages at GCSE and A level preserved. To this end, the Secretary of State wrote to exam boards during the pre-election period in April to express her concern about their decision to stop awarding qualifications in some languages. She asked awarding organisations to work with Ofqual on the future of these qualifications and committed, if there is no further action, to launching a consultation on how best to secure the future of these qualifications.

HM Treasury

Air Passenger Duty: Scotland

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact on Newcastle International Airport of the proposal to devolve power to the Scottish Government to determine the level of Air Passenger Duty for travellers using Scottish airports.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The impact on Newcastle airport will depend on a number of decisions following the devolution of air passenger duty (APD) to the Scottish Parliament.   The date that APD is “switched off” in Scotland will depend on discussions on the over-arching Fiscal Framework to be agreed between HM Government and the Scottish Government. It will also depend on the readiness of the Scottish Government to assume the fiscal responsibility of having the power to charge its own tax devolved to it. The Scottish Parliament will have the power to introduce its own APD, with rates at the levels it chooses.   In response to the concerns voiced by airports about the potential impacts of devolution, the Government will publish a discussion paper exploring the options for supporting regional airports from such effects. The discussion paper will be published by the summer.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Lord Steel of Aikwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to alter fuel duties to change the relative price difference paid by customers for petrol and diesel fuels.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government has no current plans to alter fuel duty to change the relative price difference paid by customers for petrol and diesel.

Ministry of Defence

Trident

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Ministry of Defence to be ready to make the Main Gate decision for replacing Trident.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) in the House of Commons on 8 June 2015 (Official Report, column 904), to the hon. Member for Barrow (John Woodcock).   



Hansard Extract
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Aircraft Carriers

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 23 March (HL5737), how many years at sea in aircraft carriers the Head of Carrier Enabled Power Projection has served; and how many years at sea, in aircraft-carrying warships, the Senior Responsible Owners for the Carrier and F35B projects have served.

Earl Howe: Carrier Enabled Power Projection (CEPP) is a joint programme, bringing together the Carriers, F-35B aircraft and Merlin Crowsnest helicopters. The Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for CEPP is the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Military Capability, who is directly accountable to the Permanent Under Secretary for Defence for the coherent delivery of the overall CEPP capability. The principal skill set required by the SRO is leadership and experience in delivering complex programmes across Defence. Specialist experience of carrier air operations is provided by the individual SROs for the carrier and F35B projects (Royal Navy and RAF respectively), both of whom have significant experience of carrier air operations. The CEPP SRO is also directly supported by a programme director, a Rear Admiral with extensive experience in the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) programme, as well as frigate and air station command, an Air Commodore (Head of CEPP), and a small joint staff with significant maritime, combat air and command experience. The Head of CEPP is an experienced Air Commodore having served extensively within the joint arena delivering capability. While he has not served at sea in aircraft carriers, his portfolio does not require this. He is responsible for ensuring coherent delivery across the CEPP programme rather than an individual project remit. The QEC SRO is a Rear Admiral. He has blended his extensive aviation experience with considerable time at sea. He has served at sea extensively in frigates, air defence destroyers, Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and commanded the Royal Navy's largest warship; the helicopter carrier HMS OCEAN. He has also commanded the patrol vessel HMS ANGLESEY conducting fishery protection and the Type 23 frigate HMS SOMERSET. Other maritime commands include the Iraqi maritime Task Group during Operation TELIC and Chief of Staff appointments for two counter piracy missions: operation ATALANTA and CTF 151, which included a deployment in the US Navy Ticonderoga class destroyer USS ANZIO. He spent over two years working for Flag Officer Sea Training as the lead Commander for Warfare and Command. He has recently completed an 18 month appointment as the United Kingdom Maritime Component Commander and Deputy Commander Combined Maritime Forces, based within the USNAVCENT Headquarters in Bahrain. The period spanned operation LUMINOUS from Cyprus, the completion of operation HERRICK and the commencement of operation SHADER in Iraq. The SRO for the F-35B is an Air Commodore. He is a highly experienced former Harrier pilot whose embarked experience with 3(F) Sqn flying the Harrier GR7 from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS saw him both day and night deck qualified. He also acted as a Landing Signals Officer, responsible for providing critical safety information to both the pilot in the cockpit and the command team during aircraft recovery. This qualification required him to be not only a skilled aviator, but also knowledgeable about broader ship operations. He achieved a total of three months of embarked flying, which was followed by two and a half years as a Joint Harrier Squadron Commander.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Procurement

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many F35B aircraft (1) have been ordered; and (2) will be ordered in this financial year.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many F35B aircraft they plan to have ordered in total by April 2016.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Mr Dunne) in the House of Commons on 5 June 2015 to Question number 353.  



Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Procurement
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Military Bases: Omagh

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what terms they offered to transfer ownership of the St Lucia barracks in Omagh to the Northern Ireland Executive.

Earl Howe: It is expected that St Lucia Barracks will transfer to the Northern Ireland Executive on freehold terms by summer 2015.